Hanhardt walks on new landscape, but it's the same Chicago Way
The Chicago Outfit's top cop, former Chicago Police Chief of Detectives William Hanhardt, left federal prison Tuesday after a decade behind bars.
Once he was a rock star. If you want to understand Chicago you've got to understand that when Hanhardt would show up in a police district station, you'd think the Beatles had arrived. They'd crowd around him, because he was the guy who could make things happen.
Another Hanhardt buddy is also away. Former 10th Ward Ald. Ed "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak is doing his own federal time for a crooked real estate deal.
So with Joe and Fast Eddie out of the picture, who'll throw the welcome home party for the boss of detectives in Chicago? There's only one choice, really: It's now called VIP's A Gentlemen's Club, but it was previously known as Crazy Horse Too.
Years ago, there was a going-away party there for a Hanhardt friend, former Chicago detective Fred Pascente, convicted of insurance fraud in 1995 in connection with a series of phony traffic accidents. My sources, including law enforcement, remember that the place was jammed with what seemed to be the entire CPD detective division.
Back then, Lombardo's brother, Rocky, was a manager of the Crazy Horse Too club in Las Vegas. Chicago and Vegas were kind of like suburbs of each other. More recently, the Sun-Times has reported that for the past 18 years, while City Hall has ostensibly tried to shut down the bar, an amazing thing has happened: The bar has changed names, but continues to sell hard liquor and naked or near-naked girls dancing on poles.
"You'll have to talk to the manager," said a young woman on the phone. She said the manager's name was Bill, and put me through.
I asked Bill if his place was hosting the Hanhardt homecoming.
"I don't know," he said. "Never heard of him."
When Hanhardt was finally arrested for running that mob-sponsored national jewelry theft ring, some were surprised. The Outfit hit man Paul "the Indian" Schiro was part of the crew. And they received tips and intelligence — including information on targets — from Chicago police.
But those who weren't surprised included officials like Ted McNamara and his federal colleagues who busted Hanhardt, who avoided trial by pleading guilty to everything.
"That was an indicator of the involvement of many people," said Jody Weis, former Chicago police superintendent and FBI supervisor and now deputy director of the Chicago Crime Commission. "By pleading guilty, there were a lot of roads that were closed off. It would have been nice to travel down those roads, but he didn't want that."
The cops who helped Hanhardt didn't want the feds exploring those roads. And then-Mayor Richard Daley and then-Police Superintendent Terry Hillard would become apoplectic if you'd mention Hanhardt's case around them. And the Outfit didn't want anyone going down those roads.
So Bill Hanhardt wised up and went away. He never talked. And now, an old man, he's back.
It's a different landscape, maybe.
But it's the same Chicago Way.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-20/news/ct-met-kass-0720-20110720_1_bill-hanhardt-hanhardt-friend-federal-prison
Once he was a rock star. If you want to understand Chicago you've got to understand that when Hanhardt would show up in a police district station, you'd think the Beatles had arrived. They'd crowd around him, because he was the guy who could make things happen.
So with Joe and Fast Eddie out of the picture, who'll throw the welcome home party for the boss of detectives in Chicago? There's only one choice, really: It's now called VIP's A Gentlemen's Club, but it was previously known as Crazy Horse Too.
Years ago, there was a going-away party there for a Hanhardt friend, former Chicago detective Fred Pascente, convicted of insurance fraud in 1995 in connection with a series of phony traffic accidents. My sources, including law enforcement, remember that the place was jammed with what seemed to be the entire CPD detective division.
Back then, Lombardo's brother, Rocky, was a manager of the Crazy Horse Too club in Las Vegas. Chicago and Vegas were kind of like suburbs of each other. More recently, the Sun-Times has reported that for the past 18 years, while City Hall has ostensibly tried to shut down the bar, an amazing thing has happened: The bar has changed names, but continues to sell hard liquor and naked or near-naked girls dancing on poles.
"You'll have to talk to the manager," said a young woman on the phone. She said the manager's name was Bill, and put me through.
I asked Bill if his place was hosting the Hanhardt homecoming.
"I don't know," he said. "Never heard of him."
When Hanhardt was finally arrested for running that mob-sponsored national jewelry theft ring, some were surprised. The Outfit hit man Paul "the Indian" Schiro was part of the crew. And they received tips and intelligence — including information on targets — from Chicago police.
But those who weren't surprised included officials like Ted McNamara and his federal colleagues who busted Hanhardt, who avoided trial by pleading guilty to everything.
"That was an indicator of the involvement of many people," said Jody Weis, former Chicago police superintendent and FBI supervisor and now deputy director of the Chicago Crime Commission. "By pleading guilty, there were a lot of roads that were closed off. It would have been nice to travel down those roads, but he didn't want that."
The cops who helped Hanhardt didn't want the feds exploring those roads. And then-Mayor Richard Daley and then-Police Superintendent Terry Hillard would become apoplectic if you'd mention Hanhardt's case around them. And the Outfit didn't want anyone going down those roads.
So Bill Hanhardt wised up and went away. He never talked. And now, an old man, he's back.
It's a different landscape, maybe.
But it's the same Chicago Way.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-20/news/ct-met-kass-0720-20110720_1_bill-hanhardt-hanhardt-friend-federal-prison
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